


Two AM Colors

by love_in_the_stars



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-26
Updated: 2012-04-26
Packaged: 2017-11-04 08:40:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/391922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_in_the_stars/pseuds/love_in_the_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's late and Steve can't sleep but he's not the only one still up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two AM Colors

**Author's Note:**

> Unrepentant fluff and written for [this fanart](http://cap-ironman.livejournal.com/836211.html) with artist permission.

It was another one of those nights.  
  
Steve sat at the end of his bed and didn’t have a clue what to do with himself. He couldn’t sleep, had already tried and given up for the night after jerking awake from nightmares he didn’t care to remember but did away. There was a pad and a few pencils on the desk across his room but drawing just didn’t appeal, not lately. Instead he sat, wringing his hands, and brooded.  
  
It was two hours passed midnight, far too late for anyone else to be up but too early for Steve to go for a run either. Maybe he would go down to the gym for a while, work out until he tired himself out, as if that was easy anymore. Tony _had_ said it was open to him whenever so Steve got up and cast away his hesitation. No one would be around anyway so it wasn’t as though he had to be shy about anything.  
  
Steve changed into a pair of sweats and a workout shirt modified specifically for him, namely in that it was weighed and had a single white star decorating the front of the blue fabric. The point of the weight was to keep Steve’s strength factor as high as he could, which was something he’d never thought of before Tony said it as he’d handed over the clothes. In hindsight it made perfect sense and always ensured he got a _proper_ workout. Tony was every bit the genius everyone said he was, if not just as eccentric. But Howard was like that too. A little on the strange side but likeable despite all that, just like Tony.  
  
Heading through the mansion halls, Steve passed by the open doorway to the main living room and paused to look through. The lights of the room were off but Tony was there anyway sitting on the couch, the bright whitish blue glow of the computer on his lap lighting up his entire front. Catching the movement of his entrance, Tony looked up and grinned.  
  
“Steve! What’s got you up so late?”  
  
He really hadn’t expected anyone to be around but maybe he should have in regards to Tony. The man didn’t seem like he got enough rest. Obviously welcome, Steve changed his mind slightly and approached the couch, answering Tony’s grin with a slight smile of his own.  
  
“Just couldn’t sleep.”  
  
“Ah.” Tony nodded sagely, giving him a friendly wink. “A fellow insomniac, welcome to the night life.”  
  
Steve chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck with a one-shoulder shrug. Tony took a quick look at his clothes and shook his head. “Headed down for some more punching of things? That must be wonderfully therapeutic.”  
  
“It helps sometimes, yes.”  
  
“I get that. Inventing is my therapy. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper too. Actually, it’s what makes me rich so I guess it’s like my therapy pays for itself. Neat.” Tony looked down at his lap with contemplation. Like he’d said, Tony was a bit strange sometimes but it was rather endearing when he wasn’t completely obnoxious about it.  
  
“Hey, Steve.” Tony said suddenly, looking up at him with a slight edge of seriousness. “You wanna take a sneak peek at what I’m working on before you go?”  
  
Steve doubted he’d understand anything Tony would tell him about whatever he was doing but the way he asked gave Steve pause. How often was Tony left alone like this? As far as Steve understood it, Tony had always lived alone after his parents passed away, not counting the butlers that took care of the house. Had he ever had anyone to talk to on stagnate nights like this? Steve was not a betting man but he’d place money on the answer to that being no.  
  
“Sure.” He said, settling down next to Tony and turning to face him as the genius tilted the laptop screen more his way. The smile he got for that simple act was almost brighter than the light from the computer.  
  
“Okay, so I was thinking. My armor, it’s pretty much the most obvious thing ever, right? It’s metal so it’s kinda loud and the thrusters are still audible despite my best efforts otherwise but most of the time that doesn’t matter because I’m the heavy hitter anyway, right? I mean it doesn't usually matter if the bad guy of the week sees or hears me coming since they probably won’t be able to get out of the way fast enough. But then I got thinking.” Tony said, lifting his hands in the air and spreading them. “Stealth tech. If I could make a suit that was invisible, not as hard as one would think, and completely silenced, which _is_ going to take more work but the possibilities for recon with an armor like that would be immense!”  
  
Tony seemed so excited that Steve was utterly helpless against not smiling at him. “That sounds amazing, Tony. If anyone could make it work, it’d be you.”  
  
Tony smiled at him, unrestrained and full of teeth but not that ‘special for the public’ shark’s grin. “Of course, just because it can’t be seen doesn’t mean it shouldn’t look awesome, right? And hey, wanna help me with that? You’re the artist after all.” Tony winked at him and gestured toward the simple gray steel armor revolving on his screen.  
  
“Sure, I’ll help. But you’re an artist too, you know. All these inventions and all the things you make are just a different form of art." Steve said, resting his hand gently on Tony's far shoulder.  
  
Tony tilted his head at him and looked amused, clearly doubtful but unwilling to argue. Which served to show how tired he must have been. "If you say so, Cap."  
  
"Absolutely. Inventors are artists, they make something from nothing right? They take designs of the things in their heads then make them real. That’s what I do too. It’s all about imagination, and intelligence.” Steve added, nudging Tony with his elbow and the genius snorted. “The only difference between them is the medium of expression. I use paper and pencils and you use metals and heat and whatever else your workshop has.”  
  
Tony hummed, finger swiping at the touchpad of the computer, his face thoughtful. “Yeah, yeah, alright. You might have a point there.”  
  
“Of course I do. Captain America, remember? I’m always right.” Steve said with a completely straight face. Tony looked at him in surprise before laughing.  
  
“Hah, yeah, of course. What was I thinking to dare argue with you?”  
  
“Beats me. Maybe you should stop trying then.” As if Steve would ever actually enjoy that. Tony wouldn’t be Tony if he wasn’t argumentative and obstinate.  
  
Tony winked at him and twirled a finger through the air. “As if.”  
  
“Yeah, that’s what I thought you’d say.” Steve shook his head, grinning fondly, and looked back at the computer and the armor on the screen. “The whole point of this is covert, right? So whether or not they see it it should _look_ covert. Go with dark colors. Black and dark blue maybe?”  
  
Tony tapped a few buttons and the colors of the armor changed, black where red was usually and blue in the places where yellow normally laid. “Like that?”  
  
Steve thought for a moment and shook his head. “Lighten up the blue more.” Tony did and they looked at it a bit longer before Steve nodded. “There. That looks fitting, right?”  
  
Tony eyed the armor critically and rotated it a few times before smiling, looking at Steve out the corner of his eyes. “Yeah. I think it looks perfect.”  
  
“Good.”  
  
The silence that fell between them then was comfortable and Steve decided he rather liked this. Talking to Tony when it was dark and quiet like this, just the two of them. It was nice and a far better way of passing his time then punching out sandbags in the gym or staring at his ceiling. Making a split second decision, Steve tapped the screen of the computer. “You mentioned issues with the thrusters?”  
  
Tony nodded, tilting his head at him.  
  
“Tell me about it?”  
  
The pause at that was telling as Tony studied him, eyes luminous in the blue white light before he shrugged, grin breaking out over his face. “Sure. We’ll see if you can keep up, yeah?”  
  
Steve laughed and relaxed back into the sofa. “You’ll explain it to me if I can’t.” It wasn’t a question and he didn’t say it as if it were because as long as he asked Tony would be happy to talk to him. And honestly, Steve needed this as much as Tony did.  
  
The genius inventor’s expression was soft and he looked at the computer as if to hide it, just for now. Just until he got more used to Steve caring enough to ask. He shifted on the couch, tilting everything closer to Steve and settled, relaxed in a new way now.  
  
Tony began to talk and Steve listened.


End file.
